The Greatest Movie Villains of All Time: 1980's
Here's...the best! They brought a variety of things, from terror to laughter. Undoubtebly memorable and undeniably important, these villains will leave a legacy that will never go. From campy to creepy, these villains all balance that nice line in-between to be loved and beloved! As a part of the "Top Ten Villains of All-Time" series, I'm listing some of the most iconic or skillfully portrayed villains of the 1980's. The villains that are included are based on their critical reception, powerful performance on-screen, and how much fan love they receive. For the record, only villains portrayed on screen by humans will be accepted, so no cartoon villains or monsters. Number 5: Jack Torrance (The Shining, 1980) All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy- although given what happens in Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece The Shining, we'd rather see Jack Nicholson be dull. One of the actor's best on-screen performances, Torrance's plunge into at the Overlook hotel makes for an entertaining and frightening ride. This writer's turn from loving and recovering father turned ax-crazy psychopath brings the character right from the pages, and Jack's skill lets him dominate every moment while he's on-screen. Here's Jack indeed! Number 4: The Terminator (The Terminator, 1984) While this character would eventually become the ultimate anti-hero assassin after the sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Arnie's most memorable lines and moments were from the original sci-fi smash hit The Terminator. Including the "I'll be back." scene, the Terminator at first became one of the most awe-inspiring and badass villains of the decade. The Terminator was the face of badass, sunglasses and leather jacket in all. While he came back a good guy for the last couple entries of the franchise, the original Terminator also became an icon of American cinema itself. Number 3: Freddy Kruger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984) Nowadays, horror movies come a dime a dozen, and the quality shows. But during the 1980's, it was a golden age for slasher flicks and Freddy Krueger was the king. It was difficult choosing between Krueger and the equally influential Jason Voorhees, but ultimately quality beats quantity on this list. Englund's portrayal of this serial killing demon brought Wes Craven's nightmare to life on the silver screen, and his claws allow him to tear into competition with ease. Say what you will about sequels- Freddu Krueger owned the slasher genre! Number 2: Biff Tannen (Back to the Future, 1985) Oh, the sins of the father- as the hero of the 1980's classic Back to the Future, Marty McFly quickly learns that the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree! While Biff's son is a close competitor, nothing compares to his father. The bully to Marty's father George, both back in high school and as his superior at his job, Biff is the ultimate jerk and nuissance. Talk about running in the family- whether it was Biff's ancestor "Mad Dog" Tannen to his cyborg grandson, Biff Tannen and his clan of buttheads became the archetype for movie bullies. And no matter what, they always give us laughs, the McFly family trouble, and get themselves in plenty of crap. Honorable Mentions *The Joker (Batman, 1989) *Betelguise (Beetlejuice, 1988) *Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part II, 1981) *Khan (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982) *Frank Booth (Blue Velvet, 1986)